The field of the invention deals with the continuous bleaching of an elongated mass of flaccid material, namely a tubular mass of knitted fabric such as cotton cloth or blend of two or more materials. Prior art bleaching kiers employ the combination of a dry "J" box (a storage device), a saturator, a bleaching kier and a washer. See the schematic shown in FIG. 1 for example. Elongated tubular shaped knitted cotton in a rope like configuration is moved by squeeze rolls 6 into the dry "J" box where up to 2,500 pounds of cloth are stored, about a one and one-half hour supply to the balance of the bleaching apparatus. From the dry "J" box, the cloth is conveyed, again by squeeze rolls 10--10 and 10'--10', to and through a saturator, where the cloth is saturated with bleaching liquor. After saturation, the cloth is conveyed, also by squeeze rolls 10--10 and 11--11 into and out of the bleaching kier, where the cloth is traversed along a predetermined path for a given length of time. Subsequently, the cloth is removed from the bleaching kier, again by squeeze rolls 11--11, placed in a washer where excess bleaching liquor is removed, removed from the washer (again by squeeze rolls), dried and thus prepared for manufacture into finished goods.
Certain problems have been identified by users of prior art bleaching apparatus, such as the use and associated cost of a saturator, excessive creasing of the cloth while it is in a rope like configuration by the squeeze rolls, inability to accurately control the flow of cloth through the bleaching kier and inefficient removal of bleaching liquor from the cloth prior to its transmittal to the washer. It is towards the solution of these problems that the instant invention is directed.
Reference is made to FIG. 1 where there is shown, in schematic form by element 1, a cross section of a typical prior art bleaching kier. Goods to be bleached 4 are in a rope like configuration and are received in a wound configuration 3. They are placed in a device called a cradle 98. By means of squeeze rolls 5--5, the rope like elongated flaccid material (cloth) 4 is conveyed into a sewing scray where the end member 4 of a preceding length of cloth is affixed to the end member of another roll of cloth 4 by sewing. By means of squeeze rolls 6, cloth 4 is pulled through entrance guide 8 and into dry J-box 27 where it is stored. When needed, it is removed from dry J-Box 27 through exit guide 8 and put into saturator 9, where it is allowed to become saturated with bleach liquor. After saturation and when there is room for more cloth in bleaching kier 12, cloth 4 is removed from saturator 9 by squeeze rolls 10, conveyed over drum 28 into water slide 61 where it comes into contact with additional bleaching liquor, through device 19, to traverse it down (towards the left) of slide 61. Bleach liquor 14 is held in container 13 and cloth 4 is moved through container 13 and bleach liquor 14 therein by drum or roll 28 and liquor flor from element 19. Squeeze rolls 11, moves cloth 4 from kier 12 to counter flow washer 15. Cloth 4 is moved through counter flow washer 15, where the bleach liquor is removed, and cloth 4 deposited in wet box 18 for subsequent drying and further processing into finished goods.
Unacceptable creasing of the rope like configurated cloth 4 by squeeze rolls 6, 10--10, 10'--10' and 11--11 and the control of the movement of cloth 4 out of the dry J-Box into and through kier 12 are the problems addressed by the present invention.